Chris Henry Dead

This past week the world found out that 26-year-old Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, Chris Henry, died because of complications he sustained after falling out of the bed of his girlfriend's parents' pickup truck earlier in the week. He was running after his girlfriend, who was getting away from him after Henry and her had an argument. What a tragedy! It's a shame that someone so young, and so talented can just die out of the blue. It really gets you thinking about the important things in your life whenever someone dies.

This makes me wonder why in the first place would Henry jump into a moving pickup truck? I mean, if your girlfriend is leaving with her parents, you can try to convince her before she is in motion inside of the truck. Now, I'm not trying to bash Henry, I'm just stating my opinion on how his dumb decision cost him his life. He was a great football player. He just made a dumb decision, like a lot of his troubled young career, and this time it finally caught up with him. The impact of Henry's death was shown throughout the league last week, and especially on Henry's team, the Cincinnati Bengals.

Besides Henry's family, the person who took the death the hardest was probably fellow wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, Chad Ochocinco. I still think Johnson sounds better, though (Johnson was his last name before he changed it). Name-changing aside let's get back to Henry. When Ochocinco was interviewed by the press following the death of Henry, you could see how hard he was trying to hold back his tears. Now, I think it takes some guts for a football player, and especially one as tough as Ochocinco, to cry in front of the camera, but that's just me.

What made me kind of angry was the fact that Ochocinco was not allowed to wear Henry's number 15, because of league rules. I think the NFL should have let this one go just for one game. I mean a teammate did just die! But this just shows how strict some of the rules of the NFL are, and make me wonder if they are just a little too strict.

All negatory comments aside, I would like to end this post with a simple message. R.I.P. Chris Henry and may you never be forgotten.

"Above: Chris Henry, Bengals wide receiver, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com"

Fantasy Football Finally Done :(

If the Vikings getting manhandled tonight wasn't enough, my Sunday has gotten even worse with the news that I have officially been eliminated in my fantasy football league. I guess it's not that big of a deal. I mean, it is FANTASY football we're talking about. I guess it's just hard to see the season come to a close, especially after a great year like my team had.

Coming into this playoff matchup this weekend, my team was 12-2 and were scoring a lot of points. Then, this week, they lay a stinker and lose. OUCH!!! The season done, and in the blink of an eye my season was over. It did give me self relief to remember that we didn't play for money. Whew!

I'm not sure if there is a consolation game for third place next week, but I sure hope so. I need to end this wonderful, fantasy football season on a high note. And what better way to do that than to be in the top 1/4 of your fantasy football league. I mean, that's everyone's goal in life, right? Ok maybe it's just me, but I think it would be a fitting end to a great year.

This year, being my first year participating in fantasy football, I didn't know what to expect. My dad has played for the last few years, and I always thought it looked like fun. And man was I right! It was better than I ever thought fantasy football could be. I loved building my team from the ground up, watching as my trades panned out perfectly, setting up my lineups at 11:50 AM on gamedays, and, most of all, getting that magical feeling of winning, which I was lucky enough to feel twelve times this season. Although I would have liked, more than anything to get that feeling this week, but it just didn't work out. All bad feelings aside, I do know one thing. I am now officially hooked on fantasy football, and can't wait until I can try my luck for a fantasy title next season. Now, I just need to persuade my friends to empty out their wallets a little and make fantasy football more interesting next season!

"Above: Fantasy football logo, http://www.rootzoo.com"

Vikings Lay an Egg in Carolina

Well, tonight was a big disappointment. The Minnesota Vikings for the second time in three weeks, lose on Sunday Night Football. This week was an even bigger disappointment with the Vikings losing to the 6-8 Carolina Panthers 26-7. As a Vikings fan, it was very hard to watch as the Vikings were manhandled by the Carolina Panthers. It seemed like every time the Vikings had a big play, they would get a penalty which would make for longer downs. This led to the Vikings offense not really ever starting up. To make matters even worse for the Vikings was the fact that they gave up 100 yards rushing to an opponent running back for the first time in 30+ games! Overall this was a bad performance.

On the bright side, the Vikings are still 11-3 and clinched the NFC North today with the Green Bay Packers losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 37-36! The Vikings also still have a chance, albeit a long one, to gain the number one seed in the NFC and get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In order for this to happen, the New Orleans Saints need to lose their last two games and the Minnesota Vikings need to win their last two games, which would put both teams at 13-3 with Minnesota getting the tiebreaker. This will not be easy, however, as the Saints take on the terrible Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the reborn Carolina Panthers. The Vikings, on the other hand, take on the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants.

With wins and losses put aside, the Vikings are really starting to get me nervous. Sure, they're 11-3, but they haven't looked very good. Maybe it's just a Sunday night thing. I sure hope so, because the Vikings are sure a lot better football team than they showed tonight. At times, tonight, it was so bad that I could barely stand to watch the game without feeling the urge to punch a hole in the wall, which by the way is a bad idea for obvious reasons. But, then again, they are 11-3 and division champions! They will begin to play better and I think they will learn from this and be a better football team because of it.

We Wish You a Happy Holiday?

This weekend I took part in a Christmas concert at my school called Cocoa & Carols. Everything was great, except for one thing. One elementary school sang the well known song, "We Wish You a Happy Holiday". Confused? Because I sure am. The song is "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", and it is a Christmas song, not for all holidays, just Christmas. I know they wanted to change it so they didn't offend anyone, but in the process it got me thinking. When did Christmas become a swear word? It seems like no one can use it in a public setting because it could offend someone.

Now I'm a Christian and celebrate Christmas, but that doesn't mean I have something out for other religions. I just feel that Christmas should be a celebrated word, not a shunned one. Slowly but surely it seems like the world is losing its Christmas spirit. In my opinion, if Christmas offends you, then just ignore it, because it shouldn't. It is a fact that the majority of the United States is Christian, yet we can say Christmas in songs because it could offend someone? This doesn't make any sense to me. If someone of another religion doesn't want to sing about Christmas, they can feel free to not. No one is forcing anyone to do that.

What really made me angry was the fact that the so-called offensive nature of the word Christmas is so controversial that they have to mess with Christmas songs. What's next? Is "White Christmas" going to change to "White Holiday"? Are we not going to be able to sing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" because it talks about God? I sure hope not. I just want the word Christmas to be welcomed back into the holiday cheer, so everyone, myself included, can have a happier holiday.

"Above: A crossed out Christmas tree, http://www.wnd.com"

Christmas Time is Here! (Almost)

With twelve days left until Christmas, I can't help but get excited. The presents, the snow, the food; nothing is better. That is why Christmas is my favorite holiday.

This year has got me thinking. What makes me like Christmas so much? Is it just the presents? Well, I don't think so. Sure, the presents are nice, but nothing beats spending a cold, Christmas morning indoors with your family playing games and having a good time. But of course, one of the greatest things about Christmas is the presents.

All year I have heard my parents tell me to wait until Christmas when I saw something I wanted. All year it built up. And then finally Christmas comes, and you finally get what you wanted in the first place. Of course you are ecstatic, I mean who wouldn't  be? But then, before you know it Christmas is over and the cycle repeats.

To make the Christmas holidays even better is the Christmas music! The music has to be one of my favorite kinds of music. It is catchy, fun to listen to, and makes for a very relaxing Christmas morning. With classics such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Deck The Halls, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and much more, the hits never stop. I like the music so much that I am actually listening to two different Christmas CD's in my car right now. The group is Straight No Chaser, an a capella group that sings cool arrangements of everyone's holiday favorites. They are great CD's and make for a very enjoyable car ride.

Another great thing about Christmas is the time of year it occurs, the winter! Nothing is better than sledding on Christmas break on the snow, and having intense snowball fights with friends and family. Then you can come inside and warm up with a nice big cup of hot cocoa. Yum!

Christmas also occurs during college football bowl season, the greatest time of the year for college football fans. This year I will be tuning in to the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, where the Iowa Hawkeyes will be taking on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Sure, the game takes place a little later than Christmas break, but it is still the general time of year.

So, put up your Christmas trees, cook your treats, hang up the mistletoe, and bundle up with a nice, warm glass of hot cocoa, because another great Christmas is coming your way!

"Above: A Christmas Tree, http://walking.about.com"

Vikes Win, One Win Away From Clinching Division

Wow! Boy did the Vikings respond today with a huge win after that embarrassment in Arizona last week with a 30-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at home.

This was a big game for the Vikings. Last week, in route to a 30-17 loss against the Arizona Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings were manhandled. And, as I mentioned last week, they lost MLB E.J. Henderson for the year after a gruesome upper leg injury. But everything changed this week.

The Vikings dominated on both sides of the ball. Their defense was brilliant giving up just ten points, 210 total yards, and under 100 yards passing and rushing respectively. Their offense rebounded as well, scoring 30 points, even though Favre was held to under 200 yards passing and Peterson was held to under 100 yards rushing. What really mattered was the touchdowns they scored; Peterson ran for two and Favre threw for one.

A lot of people were starting to question the Vikings and just how good they were. How they hadn't beat any team above .500 besides the Packers this year, and how, when they finally play someone good, they get demolished. Well, man did they respond in a big way, beating a Cincinnati team that came in at 9-3 and have looked very sharp this year. The Vikings showed they are no joke this season, and that last week was just not a good week for them.

It was a good thing they got back on the winning side, because at their heels are the Green Bay Packers, who, with their win over the Bears today, have moved to 9-4. But all was for not as the Vikings moved to 11-2, and with either a win next week or a Packer loss the Vikings will clinch the NFC North, as they have the tiebreaker over the Packers because they beat them head-to-head both times this season.

It sure looks like the Vikings are well on their way to the playoffs, and boy I couldn't be much happier. But, just because it's the giving season, I ask the football gods to give New Orleans a couple losses please!

Minnesota Loses, Still 10-2

Tonight was not a good night to be a Minnesota Vikings fan. After manhandling their last two opponents, the Vikings struggled. They ended up losing 17-30. And to make matters worse, Viking middle linebacker, E.J. Henderson got injured and looks like he's done for the year.

But it is only one game. The Vikings and Favre have looked really sharp this year, and tonight just wasn't their night. This is bound to happen a couple of times during a season, so I am not the slightest bit nervous.

And the bad news just kept piling up last night for the Vikings. They are now two back from the New Orleans Saints, who won in overtime over the Washington Redskins. They are both fighting for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and it looks like the Vikings will most likely have to win out to secure this. This is still very possible. The Saints do need to lose, though, and that hasn't happened yet this season. But even though we might not win home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, we are still going to be a force to reckon with when the playoffs come around. We are very good this year and have shown, in 10 out of this year's 12 games, that we are very talented and are one of the best, if not the best in the National Football League.

As I said before, games like this are bound to happen. I'm glad they're getting this out of their systems now, and I still really like their chances this year in the playoffs.

Let me throw this out there really quick and get it over with. Brett Favre did not have a good game last night. Now all you Packers fans are probably thinking that Favre is finally back to his old ways. Well, hold your horses. He still has 26 touchdown passes on the year and just 5 interceptions. Sure he threw 2 last night, but that is just one game. I'm positive that he can put this behind him and be the MVP-caliber quarterback that the fans in Minnesota have grown accustomed to this season.

Hawks in the Orange Bowl

Well, it was an interesting year for the Hawkeyes, but now just one game is left on the schedule. After tonight's BCS Bowl Selection Show, the Iowa Hawkeyes, and the rest of the nation, found out that they will be facing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Fed-ex Orange Bowl!

Iowa made the BCS bowl as an at-large bid, because they finished second in the Big Ten. Georgia Tech earned their spot by way of an automatic bid given to the winner of the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). It will be a very interesting contest. The Hawkeyes have a great defense and will be going up against a Georgia Tech team that gives opposing defenses heavy doses of the triple option. As I said in my last post, this will be the first BCS bowl bid for the Hawks since they lost a few years ago to the USC Trojans.

All season the Hawkeyes have barely scooted by opponents. They needed two consecutive blocked field goals to beat UNI, they had to win on a last second pass to beat MSU, they barely beat Arkansas State, and they had to comeback to beat the Indiana Hoosiers. But it doesn't matter. All that matters is that Iowa won all of those games, and put together a great season. Critics kept saying how Iowa was unimpressive. How they weren't that talented, they just won. But Iowa didn't listen to the critics, and if they did they didn't show it. They put all that behind them and had a great year.

Overall this season went pretty well for the Hawkeyes, with a few balls bouncing their direction along the way. On their way to a very impressive 10-2 record the Hawkeyes started a school-best 9-0. They did stumble, however, losing two of their last three games, and finishing the season second, behind the Ohio State Buckeyes, in the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State  will also be participating in a BCS bowl, the Rose Bowl, in which they will face the Pac-10 Conference champions, the high-scoring Oregon Ducks.

The stubborn Hawk fans such as myself still think that the Hawks would have been undefeated this season had Stanzi not been injured in the Northwestern game. But we have to put the past behind us and focus on the present. The Hawks are going to the Orange Bowl! Today I'm proud to be an Iowa fan.

"Above: Orange Bowl logo, http://www.sportslogos.net"

C'mon Nebraska

Well, they almost did it. This weekend was the Big 12 Championship game with the unbeaten Texas Longhorns facing off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. For Texas, the national championship was on the line. For Nebraska, they were playing for a BCS bid in the Fiesta Bowl.

It was a defensive struggle with the Longhorns outlasting the Cornhuskers 13-12. It didn't come as easy as predicted. Coming into the game the Longhorns were heavy favorites, with just Nebraska in their way on their road to the national championship game.

I, as hard as it is for me to say this as I am usually for the underdog, was rooting for the favored Longhorns.  With a Longhorns win the Hawkeyes would most certainly make a BCS bowl as an at-large bid. And boy the game didn't disappoint.

All night long the Cornhusker defense kept quarterback, Colt McCoy and the high-scoring Longhorns offense out of the end zone for almost the entire game. Leading the stout Nebraska defense was defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh with 4.5 sacks. But all was for not, as the Longhorns pulled out a victory on a last second, 46 yard field goal with one second left in regulation which finally capped off a perfect season for the Texas Longhorns and a bid in the BCS National Championship Game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. And to make things even better, the Hawkeyes found out today that they will be facing Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl, a BCS bowl.

But I do feel kind of sorry for Nebraska. They fought very hard, and in my opinion, should have won the game. But, their bone-head kicker kicked the ball out of bounds at the end of the game, giving the Longhorns great field position, which set up the game-winning field goal. I mean, I can't complain, but how could they make such a dumb mistake. But what's done is done, and I couldn't be any happier.

Instead of Nebraska going to a BCS bowl, they will go to a much worse bowl game. But I could care less. The Hawks are back in a BCS bowl game, and will be hoping for a better outcome than their last trip when they lost to USC in the Orange Bowl.

"Above: Picture of Nebraska logo, http://ksfy.com"

Is Playing Wii the Same as Exercising?

So, as you all probably know, there is a video game system called the Nintendo Wii. It doesn't have the graphics of an Xbox 360 or the online gameplay of a PS3. Then you may be asking yourself, why play the Wii? Well, because what makes the Wii system unique is the fact that it reads your motions, making you actually do the motions to different activities, rather than just moving a joystick on a controller.

This brings a very interesting question to mind. Is playing Wii the same as exercising? Well this is very interesting. I feel it isn't however. Even though you are doing motions, they are mostly moving your arms and don't take a lot of effort. As long as you don't go over the top when playing Wii, trust me I know people who do, the Wii isn't very much exercise. Take the game Wii fit for example. Now there is a running game that can be very equivalent to actual running if done right. But, it is very easy to cheat and just move one arm by itself like my brother does. I think this is because when there is an easy way to do something, sometimes people take the easy way out because they don't feel like putting forth effort. Sure my brother doesn't do this in every game, but the simple fact that he can and does just helps back my point.

Some may argue that when playing tennis on the Wii it is very similar to regular tennis and can tire you. This is bologna. Unless you are extremely out of shape, the tennis is not very tiresome, I mean you don't even have to move you legs!

Now I have nothing against the Wii, as I am an avid Wii player myself, but playing the Wii cannot replace the actual activity as exercise, for now at least. I would be more than happy to change my mind in the future if Wii became more defined and more active, as that would be awesome and would be much more convenient than having to go outside to you backyard or to a park. You could just go to you basement and play video games. What a great thing that would be. But for now nothing can beat the actual activity of exercising in the crisp, fresh, open air.

"Left: Wii video game console, http://www.wiijournal.com"

Vikes Back on the Winning Side

After their disappointing loss last week to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Vikings turned it around and beat the Green Bay Packers 38-26 this afternoon improving their record to 7-1 heading into the bye week and on top of the NFC North division (standings) after sweeping the season series against their rival, the Green Bay Packers.

The Vikes showed just how explosive they can be with AP going over 100 yards with a touchdown, Percy Harvin with three great kick returns and not to shabby of a receiving game either, and my man, Brett Favre throwing for 4 touchdowns and helped propel a Vikings victory. It was an emotional day for Favre, as was well documented this week, and Favre handled his emotions well, and gave the Vikings their seventh win of the year! They have a bye week next week which will help them get healthy and ready to go when Week 10 rolls around. But, the Vikings couldn't be in a better position right now. They are two and a half games up in the division and are done playing the Packers this season. They are looking good, and Brett's arm has looked great after his off-season surgery.

On the opposite end of the spectrum in the NFC North, the Lions lost. Now this is nothing new to the Lions but they may have just hit rock bottom. The team they lost to was the previously winless St. Louis Rams! Sure the Lions are improving, by a measly game albeit so far, but they are far from contending in the division. Even though there is a lot of football to be played this year, things couldn't look better for the Vikes after this pivotal divisional matchup today ended in success for the Minnesota Vikings.

The one bad thing about the game today was the fact that again the Vikes tried to give the game away. The Vikings completely controlled the first half and were up 24-3. Then, a little into the second half the Pack score ten straight in part to Robison's stupid fumble on the kickoff return. C'mon man, just go down! Leave the run backs to non-defensive ends. But the Vikes kept scoring and prevented a late-game collapse, in large part to Brett Favre's great play back at Lambeau Field for the first time as a visitor. What a great game with a great outcome! GO VIKES!!!

"Above: Brett Favre after game, http://www.espn.com"

Hawks Not Pretty But Effective

The Hawks win again! On Saturday they defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 42-24 and improve to 9-0 on the year. This score is very misleading, however.

The Hawks were down 24-14 entering the fourth quarter. The previous quarter, Iowa quarterback, Ricky Stanzi, threw 5 interceptions! 5 in one quarter! I was feeling the urge to cause bodily harm to Mr. Stanzi. Hopes of an undefeated season and a berth in the national title game were fading as the Hawkeyes looked terrible and didn't seem like they could play any worse. But all was good, when the Hawks outscored the Hoosiers 28-0 in the fourth quarter, and kept the undefeated season alive thanks in part to a crazy pinball interception by Iowa safety, Tyler Sash that bounced off of four people before he snatched it out of the air, and returned it for an Iowa touchdown.

It seems like every week the Hawks play as good as their opponent, good or bad. Now this can be good against good teams, but is bad when playing bad teams. But it doesn't matter how the Hawks win. It just matters that they win. If they can win their last three games, the perfect season will be complete. Then all they would need is for Texas to lose a game. As all college football fans know, the Hawks still have one big test ahead of them. They have to play the Ohio State Buckeyes in Ohio. This will be a tough game, but an exciting game none-the-less. If they win they will be 11-0 assuming they take care of business against Northwestern, and will be one win away from an undefeated season. They will have gained respect around the nation and make their pleas for a national title bid more relevant.

As for the people who said USC should jump ahead of Iowa, look what happened this weekend. The Trojans have lost two games and just got demolished by Oregon, while the Iowa Hawkeyes are still unbeaten, albeit not very prettily but, as I said before, it only matters if you win or lose. As for the Hawkeyes not being talented like Lou Holtz said after this weekend's game, you can't be untalented and be undefeated Lou. C'mon! And another thing, the Hawks would not get demolished by Florida, Alabama, or Texas. Their defense is tough and their offense showed they can be explosive putting up 28 fourth quarter points against Indiana and 42 for the game.

Let's go Hawks and keep the undefeated season alive next week in Iowa City against Northwestern!

Vikings go Down :(

So, the Vikings finally lost today to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They fought hard, but just drew the short stick today. It was a well fought game, with the Vikings actually outplaying the Steelers. But when push came to shove, the Vikes turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter with each getting ran back for a touchdown.

So I guess you can get some positives out of this loss, even though it is a loss and the Vikings are now 6-1. We learned that Sidney Rice is a beast, punter Kris Kluwe can't punt, and Chester Taylor should not be in the game at the end. If AP was in instead of him, that play would have at least gone for five yards and the outcome could, and probably would have been different. And, of course, the blown call by the ref when Sidney Rice scored a touchdown, but was negated because of a bogus tripping penalty. This would have put the Vikings up in the game and the Vikings could quite possibly have still been unbeaten.

But enough complaining. The Vikes are still first in their division and will win the division. The Lions and Bears are terrible, and the Packers just don't have the defense or offensive line to win the division. Sure, the Lions are improving, but they aren't good. The Bears got demolished by the Bengals today and are highly overrated. The Packers fans also need to stop bragging. They are back in the division and just beat the Browns. No Big Deal. That was for you McGriddle.

Now, let's focus on the Packers next week and kick some Lambeau butt. After which, the Vikings will be 7-1 and the Packers will know who is the best in the NFC Central.

Piano Competitons

So, every year I take part in a piano competition in December. I have to memorize three pieces and play them in front of a judge, and then I get scores. You may be wondering, why is he telling us this? Why would we care? Well, calm your turtles, as my mom said this weekend, I'm about to get to the point. Here it is. Why would you want to work all this time on three pieces just to get scores from a random judge that may or may not impact the outcome of the latter part of your life? Well, as it is in athletics, musicians want to compete. It's just the competing sprit inside all of us. No matter what we do, we want to be the best. We'll do whatever it takes as long as we come out on top.

This is just the nature of the beast. You may laugh, but piano can get intense. I'm always on the edge of my seat waiting for my turn to play, and when it finally comes I am so nervous and try the hardest I can to concentrate, so I can get the best possible score I can achieve.

Sure, sometimes I wish that during the course of memorizing my songs for competitions I could just drop them and play something new. I mean, the same songs over, and over, and over, and over do get kind of tiresome. You constantly ask yourself, why? Why do I want to play the same songs over and over again?

And then it hits you. You want to be the best. You want to demolish the competition and get a trophy, just so you know that you were the best on that given day. It's just the competitive spirit inside us all, and proves that sporting competitions are not the only competitive competitions in this world. Musical competitions can be competitive as well. I am an athlete too, so pure musicians might not feel the same way, but for the most part this is true. Piano competitions are competitive.

"Above: Piano trophy, http://www.tyronecrystal.com"

We're Gonna Fight, Fight, Fight for Iowa!

Well, the Iowa Hawkeyes did it again. They just refuse to let this magical undefeated season come to an end. And what a thrilling way to win on Saturday night beating Michigan State 15-13 on a last second touchdown pass from Ricky Stanzi to Marvin McNutt. All I have to say about this is one word, BEAST!

This was a very interesting game before even the opening kickoff Saturday night. Despite being ranked sixth in the nation, the Hawkeyes were a one point underdog. WHAT?? How can you be an underdog in a game if you are ranked sixth in the nation, you are undefeated, and you're playing an unranked team? How is that possible? Maybe, they just keep picking the Hawks to lose, because they think one of these weeks they have to lose. I mean, eventually they have to lose, right? Wrong!

The Hawks are now 8 and 0 on the year, and are in the driver's seat for a Big Ten title and a BCS berth. They have four games remaining on their schedule, with only one real test left, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Sure the other three are pretty good. But there is no way that Iowa will lose to them. This season is just to magical for that to happen. It seems like the ball always bounces the Hawks way, and no matter how hard they try to lose, they can't. What makes this Hawkeye team even more dangerous, is the fact that they are not playing to their full potential, but they are still undefeated.

What made this weekend even better was the fact that Iowa moved up to number four in the BCS rankings! Nice! It seems like they are finally starting to get some respect around college football. Everyone was saying how the Hawkeyes were overrated, and how there is no way they will win the Big Ten. To rile up Hawks fans even more, earlier this week, Colin Cowherd said how no one wants to see Iowa play for a national title. Why not, Colin? How would it not be fun to see a great defensive team try to slow down an Alabama, Texas, or Florida team for a national title? I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in it.

This Iowa team has done so much more than expected coming into this season. I didn't think they were that good this year. I thought, maybe in a year or two we'd be right back in contention in the Big Ten. And for once in my life, am I glad a was wrong!

Underdogs to Michigan State? Give me a break. Undefeated season? Oh yeah! Watch out, here comes the Hawks.

Undefeated Iowa Won't Make National Title Over a One Loss Team?

Tonight, I watched the show College Football Final on ESPN. It was talking about the BCS standings that came out today ( click here to see them ). Iowa was ranked number six above one-loss USC at number seven. Some people are complaining about this, but there is no reason that Iowa should not be ahead of them. Iowa is undefeated and USC has lost. It's as simple as that.

But anyway, the point of this story was that they said that an undefeated Iowa team would not make the national championship ahead of a one-loss team. What! How is that possible? How could you be an undefeated Big Ten team and not make the national championship? That doesn't make any sense. This points very frustrating flaws out about the BCS bowl system that college football has in place. There is no way that a team who went to Wisconsin and Penn State and won, and, hypothetically, went to Michigan State and Ohio State and won. That is a tough schedule. And they are saying this would not be deserving of a national title bid? Wow, ridiculous.

I believe, and I know that I'm sort of biased being an Iowa fan, that if Iowa goes undefeated they will make the national championship. They have to. This year would just be so special if Iowa went undefeated. There is no way that if Iowa came out of this year unscathed they would not make the national championship game. Sure the Big Ten hasn't been as strong as it used to be, but look at Ohio State. They lost to Purdue, and a bunch of people are saying how Purdue sucks and that means that Ohio State sucks. But, you have to remember that Purdue almost beat Notre Dame, who everyone is so in love with. A team that I feel is overrated but barelty lost to USC yesterday. A USC team that could potentially edge out Iowa for a bid in the national title game. It might just be me, but it doesn't seem like the logic fits. This is just one of the many frustrating reasons that the BCS system is flawed.

I think this will pump up the Hawks and they will finish the year undefeated, and will make the national title game. All I can say is that they better. The BCS would have to put them in. I mean, come on, they would be the champions of the Big Ten and be undefeated. That sounds like a national title bid to me.

A Snowy October

Today I watched the New England Patriots whoop up on the Tennessee Titans 59-0. 59-0! But that is something to talk about at a later date. What I was really intrigued with was the fact that in Boston, Massachusetts, where the Patriots play, was covered in snow today. Snow already? It's only October.

Now don't get me wrong, I love watching snow football. All the turnovers and the leanience on the ground game. It makes for a very interesting contest. As much as I love these kind of games, I can't imagine a football season where half of the season's games could be potentially played in the snow! Wow, this global warming is ridiculous! Jokes aside, this weather has set up for the possiblity of a lot more running and not as much passing in these games, which could potentially change the outcome of a game. With all the snow, Tom Brady and the Patriots still put up ridiculous numbers through the air, I was very happy that because of Welker's 2 touchdowns and 150 yards. But they are the Patriots and they were playing the terrible Tennessee Titans. I'm afraid other teams won't be so lucky through the air if this kind of weather continues in the North and the Northeast.

I know I'm kind of jumping to conclusions pretty quickly. I mean, it was just one weekend, and Mother Nature can be kind of weird sometimes. Just ask us Iowans. We had a few days during the summer when we had to wear jackets! JACKETS IN THE SUMMER!!!

I don't think the snow will stay for long, and will come back around November. But, in case it does, I'm just throwing out ideas of how I think it would affect this National Football League season. Anyways, this weather doesn't really affect us Viking fans as our Vikes play in a dome, where weather is never a factor. But that doesn't mean the Vikings won't be affected at all by this weather. They do have away games, and they play in the NFC North once a year at the Packers at Lambeau Field, the frozen tundra, and at the Bears at Soldier Field in the chilly city of Chicago. The Lions play in a dome so the weather is not a factor there either.

I'm just begging you Mother Nature. Please save the snow for November.

Does the Best Talent Always Win Championships?

Well, this weekend I watched the Iowa Hawkeyes whoop up on the Wisconsin Badgers 20-10! While watching the post-game the analyzers were saying how the Hawkeyes look bad and aren't that talented but are undefeated. To me this makes no sense at all. How can you be untalented but still be undefeated? This does not make sense to me. Sure they aren't the most talented team in all of college football, but they mesh well together and that is all that matters.

Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz is known for recruiting the lesser recruits. He doesn't go after the four and five star recruits, he goes after the three star recruits that could fit the mold of what he wanted his football team to be. And man has it worked out for him. It seems like every year he is in NFL coaching conversations, and ex-players are always very complementary of Ferentz.

I think that talent doesn't always win championships. Sure a few talented players always help, Iowa has a few, but just having talent doesn't win you championships. You have to have chemistry and people that will mesh well together. Iowa is not outstanding individually, but as a team they are very good this year because they mesh together well. They are playing as a team and it shows, because they are 7-0 and ranked seven in the nation.

Ohio State and Penn State both have loads more of talent than Iowa, but Iowa is undefeated and both of them aren't. This is just another reason that the best talent doesn't always win championships. I'm not saying that Iowa is not somewhat talented, they are, but they do not have the talent individually that a Penn State or an Ohio State team has. But I guess it doesn't really matter. All that matters is wins and losses, and it doesn't matter how pretty your wins are. It just matters that you win.

Iowa is now in the driver's seat for a Big Ten title and a BCS bid. All they have to do is close, and I think they will because of the chemistry they have this year, and how well they are playing as a team. GO HAWKS!!!

"Above: Big Ten Conference Logo, http://gridirongoddess.files.wordpress.com"

An Unwanted Record

This weekend a new record was set, and it isn't a good record to get. Derek Anderson, quarterback of the Cleveland Browns, completed a grand total of two passes, a low in the history of the NFL.

You may be thinking, "How is this possible?"

All I need to say to answer that question is to tell you to watch the Cleveland Browns play. They aren't a good team. I may just go out on a limb and call them terrible. Sure they have some bright spots, sure Derek Anderson was a Pro Bowl quarterback a few years ago, sure they have a bright future ahead of them, but this is a terrible year to be a Cleveland Browns fan. I would say they were the worst team in the NFL, not simply because of their 1-4 record, but because of how bad they are this season. They got rid of their best receiver Braylon Edwards and are well on their way to one of the crappiest records in the NFL this year. But, I can't say they are the worst team in the NFL because of how bad the Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams are this season.

But, back to the record. There is no way you should ever complete that low of a number of completions. Just throw some screen passes and you'll keep that record safe. But the Cleveland Browns are just that bad that they can't complete more than three passes and can only put up 6 points. Now they lucked out and got their first win because the Buffalo Bills only scored three points, but six points for an NFL team, no matter how bad you are, is pretty pathetic. And it doesn't seem like things are getting easier for Derek Anderson or the Cleveland Browns the remainder of this NFL season.

All I have to say to the Cleveland Browns is to just put Brady Quinn back in. You aren't going to make the playoffs this year and Brady Quinn is your future, not Derek Anderson. Just get Quinn some much needed playing time and get better as a team this year, so you can return back to a level of respectability in the NFL next year.

Plain Old Rap Isn't Music

While listening to the radio this weekend, I came across a song, if you can call it that. It had beats and lyrics, so I guess it was technically a song, but it didn't feel like a song. There was no singing period. Just all talking, or rapping.

Now I have nothing against rap. I like all kinds of music, and have various genres on my ipod. But when there is no singing, I cannot consider it a song. Now if you mix singing and rapping, then I consider that a song, and I probably would very well like it, but plain old rap isn't music. You can feel free to argue with me. I don't know why you would. I'm not going to change my mind, but feel free.

I'm willing to bet that someone will say, "Oh music is just poetry with melodies in the background."

Well, maybe not those exact words, but you get the picture. Sure rapping is great and very interesting. But to listen to four minutes of pure spoken word, is extremely boring and I don't consider it music. Anyone can rap but it takes talent to sing or sing and rap. I know not a lot of "songs" are like this, but I just feel that I need to separate pure rap from music.

If you are just free styling in person mono-on-mono, then that is fantastic. I'll probably watch and cheer along with all the others. It is actually very entertaining to watch and funny at times as well. But the radio is for music and songs not plain old rap.

Even if the lyrics to a song are the greatest lyrics you have ever heard, it is not music until they sing some of it. Do you consider reading "Paul Revere's Ride" while soothing music is playing in the background music? I don't think so. That is the same point I am trying to make about how plain old rap isn't music. Now if you mix in some singing and rapping, and put an interesting spin to a certain poem or song, you have something going. Or maybe you still don't, depending on your singing/musical abilities. But that's an argument for a different day.

All I'm trying to say is leave the radio to actual music, and plain old rap to freestyle battles with your arch-nemesis or your friend. Whatever floats your boat.

"Above: Stereotypical Rapper, http://rap.about.com"

First Fantasy Football Disappointment

As this weekend of NFL football is coming to a close, I already know the outcome of my fantasy football matchup this week. I going to lose for the first time, as I can now smell defeat.

Coming into this weekend, I was unscathed. 4-0 and confident about this weeks matchup. I was high on cloud nine, and felt like I was unstoppable. But my world came crashed back into reality after this weekend's fantasy football matchup. I was romped by over 40 points! 40 POINTS! I couldn't believe it, but I guess you can't win every week. Just ask the 2007 New England Patriots.

Now, for one, I didn't feel so bad. I was matched up against my friend. He has a good team. So I guess I didn't lose to a joke. Not naming any teams (cough Get-R-Dunne). But all jokes aside, ha punny, I didn't feel too bad. I'm still 4-1 and have a great chance of winning my fantasy football league. What really made me mad this week was that my top receiver got benched minutes before his game which gave me 0 points. C'mon Sims-Walker! Help me out! And to make matters worse, I decided to have Patriots wideout Wes Welker on my bench. And what does he do? He puts up 14 points! I have a waste of 14 points on my bench. I'm not sure if that would have made a difference, but I had to channel some of my frustration.

But all you can do after a disappointing week of fantasy football is keep your head high, and get ready for next week. I'm sure my team will perform better and I'll be back on the winning tract next week.

Now you may be thinking, Why does this guy care so much about stupid fantasy football? Well, first of all, fantasy football is not stupid. And second of all, you can tell when someone is really into something when they feel so strongly about it and check their fantasy football team every few minutes. Wow, sounds like a fantasy football nerd, right? Well, then I guess I am officially a fantasy football nerd.

Watch out Mikey J, here I come!

"Above: Jacksonville Jaguars Wide Receiver Mike Sims-Walker, http://cdn.picapp.com"

"Above: New England Patriots Wide Receiver Wes Welker, http://bostonherald.com"

College Football

As much as I love NFL football, especially the Vikings, I have to admit, my favorite thing to watch is college football. My team is the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Why do I love college football so much? Maybe because every game matters. Losing one game could ruin your season. It is a sport for underdogs. There's nothing better than seeing an underdog pull off an upset and win against the opposing, heavily favored team. That is as long as the Hawkeyes aren't the favorites.

Over the past few years, college football has taken some criticism for their postseason. A lot of people feel their should be playoffs in college football. The top twelve teams face of against each other and see who comes out victorious. Others want to keep it the way it is with the current BCS bowl system. Both have its pros and cons. Playoffs could end a long tradition of bowls in college football and some complain that the atmosphere wouldn't be as intense. Then again, the non-BCS conference teams would have a chance to win a national championship. In the BCS system teams like Boise State never are going to make the national championship because they play in a weak conference. Now don't get me started on Boise State as I feel they should move to a harder conference to see what they're really made of. Then again the BCS is a great experience. Every team in the Big Ten conference looks forward to having a chance to play in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California against another great team. And they usually can only get there if they win the Big Ten conference. What exciting seasons this causes in not just the Big Ten, but in all of college football.

I do know one thing, though. No atmosphere is better than at a college football stadium. At places like the Horseshoe, Happy Valley, the Rose Bowl, and the Swamp the crowd is electric. A stadium who can hold its own in crowd noise is Kinnick Stadium, the Hawkeyes home field. Those fans can get loud. Especially when the home team is talented like they are this year. There's nothing better than going to a Hawk game and watching my favorite team duke it out with any other team in college football.

There is, without a doubt, nothing greater in sports than college football.

"Above: Iowa Hawkeyes Logo. Courtesy of http://www.sports-logos-screensavers.com"

Table Tennis

What an awesome sport table tennis is.

Today I watched table tennis on ESPN. It was the championship match of the Hardbat Classic. It was a 73 year old against a 23 year old. The 23 year old won in straight sets. The prize for the winner was $100,000. I was excited. I love to play table tennis, I have a table in my basement, and I love to watch it as well. I guess you could call me a table tennis enthusiast. What made this table tennis matchup great was that the players weren't pros like they usually are on television. They were just ordinary guys playing for $100,000. How great the sport of table tennis is! In what other sport could a 73 year old man face off against a 23 year old man in the championship match of a tournament? No sport other than table tennis.

Now, to my disappointment the match wasn't very close. The 23 year old won in back-to-back sets to win the hundred grand. I still found it awesome, though, that this 73 year old man is doing something he loves to do and can compete at a high level. What an amazing thing?

Table tennis is great! It's a great sport to play with friends. Singles and doubles are both fun. I find it very cool that you can put so much spin on the ball, and pull off crazy shots. It has to be one of my favorite things to do in my free time. I'm not as devoted as my brother, even though we are pretty even, as he has bought his own paddle. I had to laugh at him a little at the time, I mean your own paddle. And to make it even better he bought a case as well. But after a while, i realized why he bought it. That paddle is amazing! It also made me realize just how crappy our other paddles are. I'm now sure what my next purchase is going to be. A new table tennis paddle, as lame as that may seem.

I do know one thing. Table tennis is the greatest family sport invented, and truly is a great sport for all ages.

Down and Out For the Northsiders

So, this week the Chicago Cubs finally managed to mathematically eliminate themselves from playoff contention this year. And what a disappointing year it was.

What started off as a pretty great season, turned into a nightmare very quickly after the Mid-Summer Classic, the All-Star Game. After the All-Star Game, the Cubs were in first place in their division over the main contender, the St. Louis Cardinals (won the division this year). Then the Cubbies get in a huge slump and start losing a lot of games. At the beginning of August they were in first place, and by the end of August, they were 8 or 9 games back. Then they started playing well the last month of the season, but it proved to be too little too late. That was just the kind of up-and-down year the Cubbies had.

With all the talent they had coming off of their division winning team last year returning, and a new hitter, Milton Bradley, coming to the North side of Chi-town, the Cubs figured to be shoo ins for the division this year. But no, the Cubs go and waste a talented team like they usually do, and now they are once again going to be watching October baseball on their couches at home. I'll give some credit to the Cardinals. They improved their team with the addition of Julio Lugo and Matt Holliday. They both had big impacts for the Cards this year, but the bigger impact was by Matt Holliday who tore up the National League this 2009 season.

I am frustrated, as I am sure all Cubs fans are. Not only because they didn't make the playoffs, but because the Cardinals won the NL Central division by the biggest margin in all of baseball. The race wasn't even close the past few weeks. That is unacceptable for Chicago baseball fans, because this 2009 team was so talented. But I guess talent doesn't win championships, and I guess Cubby fans are learning this the hard way this season.

But all you can do is be optimistic for next year. Go get 'em next year Cubs! Because they sure can't this year, much to the dismay and displeasure of the northsiders in the Windy City and Cubs fans everywhere.

"Above: Cubs fan crying. Image courtesy of http://www.ehow.com"

"Above: Two sad Cubs fans. Image courtesy of http://www.cubssuckclub.com"

Ol' Reliable

Wow what a finish to the Minnesota Vikings game. They faced the San Francisco 49ers in Minnesota. The Vikings were down by four with less than ten seconds to go. They were at the San Francisco 4o and they had time for one more play. So what does Brett Favre do? He rolls to the right and throws the ball on a rope to Viking wide reciever Greg Lewis in the back of the endzone for the game-winning touchdown. The Vikings won 27-24.

How did it happen? How could Brett Favre do it again? The only answer I have for you is because he is Brett Favre. He just somehow finds a way to comeback and win games in the forth quarter and overtime. With all the criticism of Favre this offseason, I'm glad to see the move pay off for the Minnesota Vikings. That last second play is part of the reason you bring in Brett Favre. He just finds ways to win games for you.

All I can say about the man is "WOW!"

Favre never fails to amaze me.

This win improved the Vikings record to 3-0 with a big matchup against the division rival Green Bay Packers next Monday. This will be a big game for Favre as well as the Vikings. Favre is going to face his former team who he played with for 17 years. Emotions will be high on both sides. I think Favre will play very well and the Vikings will improve to 4-0. I just have a feeling.

Having Brett Favre on my team, the Minnesota Vikings, just gives me the feeling that this will be a special year for the Vikes. Why do I feel this way? Because of the sort of plays Favre makes like Sundays last second touchdown pass by Mr. Consistent at the end of the game. He can always be counted on for a few special plays like this throughout the season. How great it is to have Ol' Reliable Brett Favre on my favorite team, the Minnesota Vikings.

Hawks Best in the Big Ten?

Well, Saturday was a great day to be a Hawk fan. They upset the fifth ranked Penn State Nittany Lions 21-10. And to make it even better, the game was at Penn State! How great the game was. A defensive struggle for the entire game. And what turned the tide in the game? A blocked punt by Iowa defensive end Adrien Claiborne returned for a touchdown. This made the score 11-10 and the Hawkeyes never looked back. This win propelled the Hawkeyes into a rank of thirteenth in the nation.

So does this win make the Hawkeyes the best team in the Big Ten? I believe so. Even though this was the first game of the Big Ten season, the Hawkeyes looked very good and showed that they could not only play with the best in the Big Ten, but could actually beat them.


The Hawkeyes have an extremely difficult schedule this year. They were at Penn State, and will be at Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. They should win all of their home games the rest of the year. The biggest challenge at Kinnick Stadium, the Hawkeyes home field, will be the twenty third ranked Michigan Wolverines. In my opinion, they are extremely overrated having inched out a victory against Indiana, not the strongest team in the Big Ten, and should have lost to an overrated Notre Dame team. They will beat the stumbling Michigan State Spartans and the Wisconsin Badgers, but will have a big challenge against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio State. If they can be unscathed heading into this pivotal game, I feel they could beat the Buckeyes. This victory would most certainly cap a undefeated season and a Big Ten title, with a trip to a BCS bowl or even the national championship.


Now don't get me wrong, the Hawks have a long way to go, but I feel this will be a special year for the Hawkeyes. They proved they are a great team, now they just need to show it week in and week out. They have a stout defense. They just need to have a more consistent offense. If they can remain a consistently solid team every week, I have no doubt in my mind that they will be the best in the Big Ten this season, and could possibly even make the national championship game in Pasadena, California this January.

Concert Life on the Floor

So this weekend I'm going to a Dave Matthews Band concert. I have a general admission ticket. In case you don't know, general admission tickets are tickets that get you on the floor of the stadium, but you don't have an assigned seat. This means that you have to get there early to get a good seat.

This made me wonder. Why would you get general admission tickets in the first place? The only reason I can think of is if you are going to get there early and you want to get close to the band. But for me, I'm not getting there early, so I will probably be towards the back, and what will feel like a mile away from the stage.

Now, don't get me wrong, general admission seats can be awesome. You can see your favorite band up close, and you can sometimes get stuff like a guitar pick or something. I just don't think being shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of strangers is my kind of concert, although I can live with it if I'm in the front. So, how will I avoid this? I guess since I'm not going really early, I will be towards the middle and can somewhat avoid the chaos that is the front-middle section on the floor. When it comes to a spot on the floor I want to be either in the way front or towards the middle-back.

One good thing about being on the floor is that you get a better concert atmosphere. On the floor everyone is rocking out. Girls are on guys' shoulders and some have had a little too much to drink and are dancing like there's no tomorrow. You can't experience these kinds of things from reserved seats up off the floor.

So which one should you choose, a reserved seat or a floor seat? Well, I think that if you are going to a concert purely to just listen to the music, then reserved seats are for you. But if you want to get a great concert experience while listening to the music as well, floor seats are your calling.

So, I guess I am kind of looking forward to my time on the floor. I may not be the most comfortable person in the world for those few hours, but I'm sure I'll have a great time anyways.

"Above: Dave Matthews Band's Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King album cover. Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com

Typo

Sorry week two is wrapping up not week three.

The Fantasy Football Experience

Well as Week Three of the NFL is wrapping up, I feel I should talk about a football experience that doesn't directly involve watching the game. You may be asking yourself how something could be a football experience yet you don't have to watch the game. Well, what is this experience? It is fantasy football.

Before the season starts a fantasy football fanatic like me gets my draft picks ready for the upcoming fantasy draft. Then when draft day comes, I try to pick a team that will get me a lot of points so I can win my fantasy league. You may be asking yourself, why would you want to create a "fantasy" team and see how many points they get? I would respond with the simple fact that it is very fun to participate in. Sure it may sound kind of boring to the non-fantasy fanatic, but to a fantasy fan like me it is something to look forward to all week.

You keep track of injuries, hot players, and cold players all in the hopes of putting together a team with the highest point total that week. You may be thinking, how do these points work? Well each player on your team gets points and then you add them together to get your team total. The goal is to have a higher team total than your opponents team total. If you do you get a win and if you don't you get a loss. It's almost like you are participating in an NFL season online with your friends.

I am pretty proud of my picks this year for my fantasy team. I'm undefeated right now and am on my way to 2-0.

You may be thinking, "Wow this guy's a nerd."

Well I can respond by saying you can't judge until you actually try it. I know I find it very addicting and I am constantly checking my team's point total throughout the day on Sunday to see if I'm winning or losing and by how much.

Even though this is my first year doing fantasy football, I'm already addicted to it. It is very fun and very interesting in many different ways, and just two weeks into this fantasy season, I already love fantasy football and the fantasy football experience.

Happy Hawks

Well it was a very happy weekend for Iowa Hawkeye football fans. The Hawks are now 3-0 after their win yesterday over the Arizona Wildcats. They have looked very impressive so far in their wins over state rivals Northern Iowa and Iowa State, as well as their win yesterday. Sure Iowa's quarterback Ricky Stanzi hasn't been very sharp. Sure Jewel Hampton, Iowa's starting running back is out for the year because of an injury. All this doesn't matter as long as the Hawks keep winning as they have so far.

Sure Jewel Hampton will be missed this season, but two freshman running backs, Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher, are filling in just fine so far this 2009 season. This was a big concern for the Iowa Hawkeyes coming into this season. Last year's running back Shonn Greene, was one of the best in the nation and was picked in the 3rd round of the NFL draft by the New York Jets. They also have talented junior wideout Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and freshman wideout Kennan Davis, a Cedar Rapids Washington alum.

What is even more exciting for Iowa football fans like myself is that Stanzi will eventually do better and the Hawks will be that much better when he does. Their defense is also very sharp giving up less than 300 total yard of offense to the Arizona Wildcats yesterday. Some studs on the defensive end are safety Tyler Sash, four interceptions in three games, linebacker Pat Angerer, has a million tackles already this season (give or take a few), and a beastly defensive line.

It is also a good time to be playing well, because next week Big Ten conference (Iowa's conference) football begins. And who do they take on to open Big Ten play? The Penn State Nittany Lions a very tough football team and one of the best in the Big Ten. We will have to play our A game next week, and if we do I think we could pull the upset and beat Penn State. This could be a jumpstart to the Hawkeyes season and could propel them into a January bowl or possibly a BCS bowl. I think the keys to winning next week would be to not turn the ball over, and to keep the Penn State offense at bay. If we do these two things I feel we could win next week. The game will no doubt be a great, but I hope the Hawks can pull out a win. GO HAWKS!!!

Blue October in Chicago?

As you may know, the MLB regular season is soon going to be over. My favorite team, the Chicago Cubs, are 9 1/2 games back from the St. Louis Cardinals in their division, and they are 6 1/2 games back from the wildcard leading Colorado Rockies.

In case you don't know, there are two leagues in the MLB, the American League and the National League. There are 3 divisions in each league. The West, Central, and East divisions. Each division winner gets a playoff spot, and the two remaining playoff spots go to the team with the highest record for the second place team in a division for both leagues. The Chicago Cubs are in the National League Central.

Do I think the Cubs will make the playoffs this year? Probably not. There are only around 15 games, give or take a few, left in this year's regular season. For many Cubs fans, this year has been a big disappointment. With the third best record in baseball last season, and with the same team plus a few additions, the Cubs figured to be a lock in the NL Central this season. But what do they do so far this year? They are only 7 games above .500. They have been playing good recently, but I think this came a little too late. As I am a Cubs fan, I am hoping that they can prove me wrong, but I don't think the Cubs will be playing baseball come mid-October (when the playoffs are). It didn't help that the Cardinals picked up Matt Holiday, who has been red hot since wearing Cardinal red, midway through the year. Or the fact that they have the MLB home run leader, Albert Pujols.

Should they have been better this year? You bet they should of. But this is why the Cubs have not brought a World Series Championship to the north side of Chicago since 1908. They have talent, but talent does not alone bring a World Series Championship to Chicago. How I wish it did, though. The Cubs are very talented this year, but have failed to consistely win. Although the baseball season is pretty much over for the north-siders, they should keep cool because next year is a whole new ballgame.

The Piano Man

Today, while I wasn't watching football, I spent my Sunday running my fingers up and down keys. No not car keys, piano keys. What a wonderful thing to do. Sit down, relax, and let loose your favorite songs on a big grand piano.

I enjoy playing the piano. I feel that it's very cool to be able to play recent tunes that you know or tunes that are challenging, piano classics on the piano and just listen to the music you are making. Which genre do I enjoy playing more? I guess it depends, but in general it would have to be recent tunes, singing usually omitted. I just thinks it is very cool to be able to play songs on the piano that you have heard on the radio earlier in the day. Some artists that I enjoy playing include: John Legend, Jack Johnson, and Diana Krall. They are mostly relaxing songs that are very enjoyable to play. I like to just pick out a song from one of these books and just lose myself in the song.

When I get a song down pretty well, I sometimes enjoy singing to them, since they are songs I know fairly well. I also think it's pretty cool to put the whole song together and hear how I sound.

My parents always said piano lessons would make me a well-rounded kid. At first, as a little kid, and didn't know how I felt about piano, but now I am glad that I stayed with it.

A time when piano payed off was, when in middle school, my friend and I were asked to each play a song for our vocal concert, while our peers sang. Since we did this, we did not have to sing in the concert which was very cool. I never can forget how cool I thought it was that I was accompanying my whole middle school choir and they all got to hear the cool tune that I played on the piano.

Now after years of practice, I now can proudly call myself the piano man.

NFL Week 1 Recap (excluding Monday's games)

Well, it's Sunday night. Earlier today the Vikings had their first regular season game of the 2009-2010 season this afternoon, and all I have to say is this, the Vikes rule!

Todays matchup, as I previously explained, was against the Cleveland Browns. The game started out with not very much scoring, and at halftime the score was Cleveland Browns, 13, Minnesota Vikings, 10. This was a very disappointing start to the season, in my opinion, for the Vikings. However, I was not worried, because I know what the Vikings are capable of this year. The Vikings started the second half strong with a touchdown, and the rest is history. The Vikings, led by Adrian Peterson's three rushing touchdowns, ended up winning the game 34-20.

Brett Favre looked good in his Vikings debut with a passing touchdown and no interceptions, and Percy Harvin, the Vikings first round draft pick in this year's draft, had three catches and his first NFL touchdown. A big storyline in this game was the Browns scoring their first offensive touchdown since Week Nine last season, even though they got this touchdown towards the end of the game, when the Vikings had their reserves on the field.

Elsewhere in the NFL, Philadelphia quarterback, Donovan McNabb broke his rib, and rookie Matthew Stafford had his first NFL start for the Lions today in their loss to the New Orleans Saints. Tonight, the Chicago Bears are facing off against the Green Bay Packers in a divisional showdown. This will be a very interesting game, because it will show what each team is made of, and helps picture what the Vikings have to look forward to this season. So far the game is very surprising. What was thought to be a shootout between Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, has turned out to be low scoring with a lot of defense. What a great game! Who will win? I hope the Bears, but we'll see. This season as a whole is stacking up to be a great one with a lot of teams legitimately competing for eight playoff spots and a chance to make it to the Super Bowl.

Overall, the Vikings looked pretty impressive, and I am very excited for the coming season and to see what the Vikings are really made of.

NFL Opening Night

Tonight's the night! The NFL is back. What a great matchup too! The Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl Champions last year, against the Tennessee Titans, best regular season record in the regular season last year at 13-3. It has been seven long months since the Super Bowl ended in February and the wait is over. Another exciting season of National Football League football is about to begin. Even though neither team is my favorite, (that spot is filled by the Minnesota Vikings), I am still extremely excited to see this opening night matchup matching two teams with intriguing story lines against each other. Can the Steelers repeat as NFL champions? Can the Titans build on their 13-3 record last year and make it to the Super Bowl? I, along with you all, don't know the answers to these questions as I am not physic, and I'm sure none of you are as well. But I sure want to stick around to find out the answers to these intriguing questions.

Then, after the game tonight is complete, NFL weekend will begin. The matchup I'm looking forward to the most is, of course, the Minnesota Vikings (my favorite team) against the Cleveland Browns. The Minnesota Vikings had an interesting offseason, as you all might have heard. Brett Favre is a Viking! Will this put them over the top and into the Super Bowl? I think so. They have a Hall of Fame quarterback, good wide recievers, the best running back in Adrian Peterson, a great kicker, and a beastly defense. Other contenders in the NFC North (the Vikings division) are the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions. I think this is going to be the Vikings year.

The Chicago Bears made a big noise this offseason by bringing in Pro Bowl quarterback, Jay Cutler. This improves the quarterback position on their team by tenfold. And who did they give away? Kyle Orton, an incosistent middle of the road quarterback. Da Bears may have improved their quarterback situation, but they will not be on top of the division come the playoffs. In fact, I feel that they will finish in third, only ahead of the Lions, the laughing stock of the NFL last year with a 0-16 record. I'm not saying the Bears are bad, they're ok, but this isn't their year. The other major contender in the North would be the Packers. They are a very good team this year and will probably win the wild card, but they will not win the division. Aaron Rodgers is getting better and better, and they have a good running back in Ryan Grant, but I don't think they have enough to beat out the Minnesota Vikings in the North.

What a great weekend of football to kick off this 2009 NFL season.

Blogging Intro

So I'm here thinking about what to write in my first blog. My brain isn't completely functional yet, as it is early in the morning. This blogging is all new to me, but sounds very interesting and I figured I should give it a try.